Replacing a good-for-lifetime driver's license

[singburisam]

My wife's driver's license doesn't expire ("Expire date: Lifetime").  She did nothing special; I think that the particular year she got the license every driver's license was good-for-life provided the applicant was of some sufficient age.  Fairly recently she went back to replace the license with the "smart" version.  No problem -- still good for lifetime.

 

Last week a dog bit her license, damaging it noticeably, though all info is still very legible.  Maybe the license is still valid (though the "smart" magnetic strip will no longer work).  Perhaps she needs it replaced.  My question is: Will they replace it with another Good-for-lifetime license? (If not, she'd rather just hold onto this one and hope it's accepted.  She's never used the "smart" feature.)

 

Perhaps I'm unduly worried, since the good-for-lifetime license has already been replaced once.  But I do worry about rule changes, or bureaucrats who make up their own rules.

 

(I even had a bad experience in U.S.A. once.  I applied for California driver's license, handing over my Nevada driver's license as identification.  First thing the Calif bureaucrat did was punch holes in the Nevada license to invalidate it!  [Is it improper to have licenses in two different States?]  For the next two weeks or so I was unable to cash checks.)

[johng]

7 minutes ago, singburisam said:

Will they replace it with another Good-for-lifetime license?

Yes..but if (for some unknown reason)  they say no just keep the old one

[lopburi3]

You are only allowed to have a valid DL in one state at a time AFAIK.

 

I am surprised that they replaced the lifetime DL as I still hold my original from 1969 (I do look a bit younger) as was told (unofficially) it could not be replaced with anything more than the 5 year.  There used to be the option for one year or lifetime DL (at a higher price).  

[johng]

2 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

There used to be the option for one year or lifetime DL (at a higher price).   

Not any more....   they will replace old lifetime paper/plastic licences for new lifetime plastic ones...but will not issue lifetime licenses to "new applicants".

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, johng said:

Not any more....   they will replace old lifetime paper/plastic licences for new lifetime plastic ones...but will not issue lifetime licenses to "new applicants".

That should be good news for some - I prefer to use taxi living in Bangkok so will just keep the 50 year old paper version.